65-y-o dad has a 38-y-o girlfriend

Dear Pastor,

I am 40 years old and my father is 65 years old. My mother died two years ago. I am living abroad. My father told me recently that he has a girlfriend. I have been talking to her on the phone. I found out that she is only 38 years old and I am disturbed.

I asked my father why he had to take somebody who is younger than I, and he said by having a young woman as his girlfriend, he would not have to be spending money on her to go to the doctor often. He would have to spend out his pension money on an older woman.

My father is very strong. He has only two of us as children. My brother is taking this thing as a joke and he said I should leave our father (young boy) alone. The young woman told me that she has had boyfriends who were in her age group, but they never treated her as well as my father. Since my mother died, my father has been spending money like crazy on this young girl. And I am really worried about him. She takes good care of him. I give her credit for that, but she is too young for my father. Don't you think?

P.L.

Dear P.L.,

I don't want you to be mad at me, but I think that you should consider what your brother has said. Your father is 65 years old. You may think that he doesn't have many more years to live and this young girl is going to kill him with love and romance. If she takes care of him, he may have many more years to live. I don't think you should make the age difference a bother.

Your brother is trying to tell you that you should just allow your father to do what he wants to do. You have a good relationship with your daddy, don't rock the boat. Make sure that he has made his will and try to encourage him to continue to save. Your brother and yourself should visit him as often as possible.

Try to keep up with whatever he is doing. Accept his lover. If you don't, he might become very upset and cut your brother and yourself out of everything, and then the young girl may get everything he has.

Pastor